The Au Pair Amazing Race Philadelphia 2012 will be held Saturday, May 19th from 12 to 3:00 pm, with registration beginning promptly at noon.  Au pairs will gather at Love Park (JFK Plaza) in Center City with their teams to begin the race.

Watch some highlights of last year’s Au Pair Amazing Race:

The event will be held rain or shine!

Au pairs will need to pre-register with their LCCs and there will be a registration fee of $5, a portion of which will go to Cultural Care Kids First Foundation, our own non-profit charitable organization dedicated to helping children around the world.

The team to win FIRST PLACE gets a trip to Boston (cost of hostel accommodations, bus fare and spending money), as well as a 25% discount (a $200 value) off the price of a trip to the West Coast, courtesy of Au Pair Adventures. Second and third place finishers will receive gift cards and there will also be a “Wild Card” drawing for all other teams who successfully complete the race!

Not only is the Au Pair Amazing Race a great way to learn about the City of Brotherly Love, but it also teaches the American ideal of “giving back.”  We want to do all we can to help raise money for Cultural Care Kids First Foundation, and we hope that participating au pairs will help too.  Each au pair should have received a Kids First Sponsorship Form.  With this form, au pairs can raise additional funds for Kids First by asking members of their community to “sponsor” their participation in the race - very similar to what is done for a charity 5K run or walk-a-thon.  This is completely optional - however, there are HUGE advantages to completing this first pre-race challenge.  The first advantage is that au pairs can earn a “Fast Pass” for their team.  A “Fast Pass” will allow that team to skip a certain challenge during the race - which can get them in the lead!  The second advantage is that we are offering a HUGE prize to the au pair who raises the most money!  The au pair who raises the most money for Kids First prior to the Au Pair Amazing Race will win a FREE TRIP to the West Coast, courtesy of Au Pair Adventures!!!  The trip is valued at $800 and can be FREE just by doing a good deed and helping us to help Kids First.

Print out your KIDS FIRST SPONSORSHIP FORM HERE!

amazing-race-2012-pledge-form

Posted by: hcook | May 18, 2012 | (edit)

      “IRON PIGS BASEBALL”  - The Lehigh Valley Au Pairs will meet on Sunday, May 20, 2012 to attend an “Iron Pigs Baseball” game at Coca-Cola Park in Allentown.   Coca-Cola Park is located in the heart of the Lehigh Valley with an address of 1050 Iron Pigs Way, Allentown, PA, 18109.  The Iron Pigs are a farm team of the World Series Winning (2008) Philadelphia Phillies!  

Au Pairs will have grass seating so bring a blanket or towel on which to sit with other Au Pairs. The weather looks good but warm - bring some sun screen!  Be Prepared to cheer when the “Cultural Care Au Pair” name is put on the large billboard sign for the entire stadium to see that WE are there!!   

Please meet LCC Helen at the front of the EAST GATE (the Main Gate) sidewalk between 12:30 and 12:45 p.m. for TICKETS!!   (Game begins at 1:35 p.m. but I will leave the Gate at 12:45 p.m. - so don’t be late.   Sometimes - Early arriving Au Pairs “might” be eligible for free gifts from the Iron Pigs!   Tickets are $7.00 and you can pay Helen inside the Ball Park (have the correct cash please).   (From the ticket - you will be able to use the ticket at a food/drink stand - and receive $2.00 off your purchase).   Driving Directions and Additional Details under Meeting Schedule or see below.  Car Pooling is recommended as there is a $3.00 per car parking charge.

DIRECTIONS
From U.S. 22 (Heading East): Take U.S. 22 E to Exit for Airport Road South. Keep right on the exit ramp and merge onto Airport Road heading south. Make a right on American Pkwy. Make a left on IronPigs Way and into stadium complex.

From U.S. 22 (Heading West): Take U.S. 22 W to Exit for Airport Road South. Merge right off exit ramp onto Airport Road South. Make a right on American Pkwy. Make a left on IronPigs Way and into stadium complex.

      “IRON PIGS BASEBALL”

Au Pairs will have grass seating so bring a blanket or towel on which to sit with other Au Pairs. The weather looks good but warm — bring some sun screen!  Be Prepared to cheer when the “Cultural Care Au Pair” name is put on the large billboard sign for the entire stadium to see that WE are there!!   

Please meet LCC Helen at the front of the EAST GATE (the Main Gate) sidewalk between 12:30 and 12:45 p.m. for TICKETS!!   (Game begins at 1:35 p.m. but I will leave the Gate at 12:45 p.m. - so don’t be late.   Sometimes - Early arriving Au Pairs “might” be eligible for free gifts from the Iron Pigs!   Tickets are $7.00 and you can pay Helen inside the Ball Park (have the correct cash please).   (From the ticket — you will be able to use the ticket at a food/drink stand — and receive $2.00 off your purchase).   Driving Directions and Additional Details under Meeting Schedule or see below. Car Pooling is recommended as there is a $3.00 per car parking charge.

DIRECTIONS
From U.S. 22 (Heading East): Take U.S. 22 E to Exit for Airport Road South. Keep right on the exit ramp and merge onto Airport Road heading south. Make a right on American Pkwy. Make a left on IronPigs Way and into stadium complex.

From U.S. 22 (Heading West): Take U.S. 22 W to Exit for Airport Road South. Merge right off exit ramp onto Airport Road South. Make a right on American Pkwy. Make a left on IronPigs Way and into stadium complex.

Charles River Canoe and Kayak

2401 Commonwealth Avenue (Route 30)
Newton (Auburndale), Massachusetts

We’re going to join another Au Pair Group from Newton. Their LCC is Julia Sappenfield in case some of you know her.

We will meet at 2:00pm. The meeting will also be a safety meeting (water safety and drowning prevention). You will have to fill out an online quiz (https://culturalcare.wufoo.com/forms/quiz-water-safety-drowning-prevention/). I recommend to print it out and bring it to the meeting, as we will be discussing the answers there.

Looking forward to meeting you all!

Well it’s finally here, the annual Amazing Race/Scavenger Hunt.  A little modified, but just as much fun.  My group is meeting at the Swarthmore Train Station at 11am and will take the 11.15am train into Philadelphia.

The Race will be started by Cultural Care’s Pennsylvania  very own Program Director Sabina Wieder   SHARPLY at 12:30 pm. There are several  checkpoints located throughout the city, which need to be completed to finish the race. Like the TV show, there will be Detours, Road Blocks and Fast Forwards that will make the race fun and challenging for all. Throughout the race, teams will also have the opportunity to fast forward the checkpoint if they can raise money and awareness for the Kids First charity on the day through the challenges we have prepared. This may just give one team the lead they need to win the race. Be prepared for physical challenges, eating challenges, performance challenges and more to get them out of their comfort zones a bit, but ahead of the pack to be the first team to the finish line!

There will be individual checkpoint winners but the Grand Prize of the FREE TRIP TO  Boston is for the first team to successfully complete all  checkpoints.

Philadelphia is an old city rich in history and culture. This event will ensure the au pairs leave with not only a sense of team accomplishment, but also with a better knowledge of the birthplace of America!!!

See you there!

May Savings: Save up to $575

Apply from May 18, 2012 through May 22, 2012 to receive a $75 application fee waiver and a $200 program fee discount. As an added bonus, if you finalize your au pair match by July 2, 2012 you will save even more with an additional $300 program fee discount—for a total of up to $575 in savings.  Please contact me at 267-474-5081 for the Promo Code.

Dari is a 23-year old from Panguipulli, a small city in the south of Chile, where she grew up surrounded by the Andes Mountains and the stunning entrance of the Chilean Patagonia. She will be spending the year with her host family in Sammamish, caring for 2 children (ages 3 yrs & 5 months). Dari is studying to be an English teacher and is looking forward to this opportunity as a way to improve her English and experience the American way of life. Dari enjoys listening to music, hiking, boating, camping, sewing, knitting, cooking, reading, and landscape photograpy. Please welcome Dari to the Sammamish Plateau!

Shannon

*Childcare Coverage for up to 45 hours per week (you set the schedule)

* Weekends/Nights are Possible

* Au Pairs handle Children’s meals, laundry and clean up

* Take the children to out of school activities, and play dates

* Our Au Pair Program is regulated by the U.S. Dept. of State

* Children are exposed to new language and culture

* Most Au Pairs drive (so children’s activities, school, etc. are easier to handle)

* They live-in — so snow days / sick days are not a problem

* Au Pairs have their own health insurance (Aetna)

* Continuous local support for your local counselor

*Our Agency handles visas, flights, etc.

*Au Pairs can stay up to 2 years.

Please contact me if you would like to have more information about how to host an Au Pair.

Marta Pena

Childcare Coordinator

Tel: 617-312-6880

Email: marta.pena@lcc.culturalcare.com

]]> http://jpilgrim.aupairnews.com/2012/05/18/summer-concert-preview-tours-offer-real-music-deals/ http://jpilgrim.aupairnews.com/2012/05/18/summer-concert-preview-tours-offer-real-music-deals/#comments Fri, 18 May 2012 14:11:20 +0000 jpilgrim http://jpilgrim.aupairnews.com/?p=129

On May 17th, our group of au pairs attended an American Heart Association sponsored course.  We learned CPR techniques for adult and children, as well as how to prevent choking.

Cultural Care au pairs were from Woburn, Arlington, Needham, and Melrose.

The training is part of Cultural Care Au Pair’s ongoing Continuing Safety Education Program (CSEP), which requires local childcare coordinators to review safety education with au pairs throughout their year-long stay in the United States. Au pairs also learn safety protocol during their 4-day stay at the Cultural Care Au Pair training school in New York before they arrive to their host families’ homes.

The Arlington area au pairs together represent the countries of Colombia, Mexico, Australia, Switzerland, France and Germany. Meetings throughout the year include educational opportunities, as well as fun activities for the entire extended family to enjoy.

Welcome, Andi!

Sunday -  JUNE 3rd   Au Pair Meeting 

Fenway Park Tour  -Remember to mark your calendars and your Host Families Calendar

RSVP -  tammi.halley@lcc.culturalcare.com   or call me 857-251-5489

 We will meet at the “Team Store” on Yawkey Way

19 Yawkey Way  Boston, MA 02215
(800) 336-9299

  Meet at 2:00 the Tour begins PROMPTLY at 2:30

The tour is 1 hour long.

Please allow adequate time to purchase tour tickets as sales conclude 15 minutes prior to tour time.

TOUR PRICING  $ 12.00      Group Discount Price  

Directions: 

It is best to use public transportation and is easily accessible by the MBTA

http://mlb.mlb.com/bos/ballpark/directions/index.jsp

It is not too late to donate to these two children if you were unable to make the meeting. Their school fees for 1 school year are $60 each (so little!) and so far we have not covered that! Please contact Kelly about making a donation through Paypal. Cultural Care matches all of your donations!